The invention relates to a top for a convertible vehicle, comprising a lateral roof frame having at least one front roof frame part and one rear roof frame part arranged behind it; a front bow held in a longitudinally displaceable manner on the front roof frame part and a bow element held on the front roof frame part, the front roof frame part being able to be releasably locked to a front frame of the convertible vehicle.
In the construction of modem convertible vehicles, interest is increasingly being paid to tops which provide a combination of a completely openable top with a top linkage and a top canvas and also an integrated sliding top in order to provide the possibility of a partial opening of the top which can be used in the driving mode of the vehicle.
An article from the journal xe2x80x9cMotor-Rundschauxe2x80x9d, 1961., issue number 13, describes a convertible developed by Reutter Company based on the xe2x80x9cCitroen DS-19xe2x80x9d vehicle. A convertible top which is known per se is extended here by a solution for a sliding roof, in which a front part of the top canvas can be displaced by means of a bow guided in lateral roof frame parts and can therefore be opened.
DE 42 03 228 C2 describes a top, in which a front roof part guided in lateral roof parts can be pushed back, with the lateral roof parts being held on a rear roof part and being storable together with the rear roof part and the front roof part in a rear region of the vehicle in order to obtain complete opening of the top.
DE 199 39 954 describes a convertible top, in which a front bow which is connected to the top cloth and is shaped as a shell part is held displaceably in guides formed on lateral roof frame parts, with the result that a partial opening of the top can be produced by displacing the front bow rearward. In the case of a complete opening of the top, the front bow can be stored together with the roof frame parts in a rear region of the vehicle.
DE 199 42 426 describes a convertible top, in which a front bow which is connected to the top cloth and is shaped as a shell part is held displaceably in guides formed on lateral, front roof frame parts, with the result that a partial opening of the top can be produced by displacing the front bow rearward. The front roof frame parts are articulated on rear roof frame parts via rotational joints in such a manner that, in the case of complete opening of the top, they are pivoted sideways into a position which is essentially parallel to the front bow. The top canvas is additionally fixed on a displaceable central bow, with, firstly, the front bow being displaceable over the central bow and, secondly, the front bow and the central bow being displaceable together in the rear direction of the vehicle during the course of complete opening of the top. Although the displacement together of the two bows to the rear has the effect that the bows take up little space in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the stored state of the top, the displaceable design of the central bow makes a complex mechanism necessary, since the central bow has to be releasably fixable at least in its pushed-forward position. In addition, additional guide rails which extend beyond the front roof frame parts toward the rear roof frame parts are required.
DE 199 42 428 describes a top for a convertible vehicle, in which a front bow which can be displaced in order to obtain a partial opening of the roof can be held in a different manner either in guides in front roof frame parts or fixed on displaceable, front roof frame parts. In the case of being held in guides of the front roof frame parts, the front roof frame parts are connected in an articulated manner to the rear roof frame parts, with the result that they can be folded in relative to the rear roof frame parts either sideways in a horizontal plane or in a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this case, the front bow can be connected to the roof frame parts via links, with the result that the roof frame parts are folded in by a movement of the front bow. Although an interaction of the displacing movement of the front bow with locking of the roof frame parts to a front frame of the vehicle is mentioned, it is not shown in its technical detail.
The object of the invention is to improve a top of the type mentioned at the beginning for a convertible vehicle to the effect that an overall simple and cost-effective, drivable top mechanism is combined with a particularly space-saving storage position in the rear region of the vehicle.
This and further objects are achieved by the present invention.
A top according to the invention comprises a lateral roof frame having at least one front roof frame part and one rear roof frame part; a front bow held in a longitudinally displaceable manner on the front roof frame part, a bow element held on the front roof frame part, and a front frame of the convertible vehicle, to which the front roof frame part can be releasably locked, in which a movement of the front bow from a first opening position into a second opening position and unlocking of the front roof frame part from the front frame are coupled by a positive control.
In this case, unlocking of the front roof frame part from the front frame of the vehicle is advantageously brought about by a mechanism coupled to the front bow, in such a manner that the front bow is moved in the course of the unlocking process from a first opening position, which is preferably associated with an opening in the manner of a sliding roof, into a second opening position, which is associated with the complete opening of the top. The second opening position is situated here behind the first opening position in the direction of travel, so that the front bow, when the front roof frame parts are being unlocked, is moved a particularly good distance to the rear and preferably over the bow element, which assists in leaving the rear passenger region free in the completely opened state of the top.
The positive control preferably comprises a hoop element connected to the front bow and a catch element which is held displaceably on the front roof frame part and has a rocking lever, which enables the positive control to be of particularly small and cost-effective design. In this case, the front bow and the hoop element can particularly preferably be movable in a drivable manner via a driven cable, as a result of which a small, cost-effective and flexibly adaptable drive is used.
The catch element is preferably in operative connection via a driven cable, a rod or a similar, elongate connecting element to a hook which is articulated pivotably in the end region of the front roof frame part and forms part of a locking element of the front roof frame part, which locking element can be locked to the front frame of the vehicle, so that engagement of the hoop element in the catch element ultimately produces an operative connection between the front bow and the locking of the front roof frame part. In this case, the connecting element is particularly preferably not connected directly to the hook, but rather via a hook link. The hook link is articulated on one side on the hook, and on the other side on the front roof frame part. This advantageously achieves, firstly, the possibility of a lever action or a configurable force transmission function and, secondly, securing of the hook in the locked state by means of a position beyond the dead center with respect to the hook element.
As an alternative to this, a preferred embodiment of a top according to the invention can also consist in that no movement at all of the front bow is associated with the unlocking or, in a kinematic reversal, with the locking of the front roof frame parts to the front frame. One advantage in this alternative is that the partial roof opening in the manner of a sliding roof can be designed to be larger, since the front bow can already be moved as far as the stop on the bow element during the opening of the sliding roof without a further movement path correlated with the unlocking of the front roof frame parts having to be provided. A technical realization of this alternative can be achieved, for example, by the provision of a second combination of a catch element and a hoop element. Then, for example, during an opening movement of the top, first of all, in the course of a linear driven movement of a driver a first catch element would be released and the front bow would therefore be disengaged from the driver, with, at the same time or subsequently, a second catch element associated with the unlocking of the roof frame parts being disengaged. The corresponding closing movement proceeds in a kinematic reversal. The device could therefore likewise manage with the use of only a single, linear drive, such as a driven cable, for driving both the front bow and the releasable locking of the front roof frame parts.
A further top according to the invention comprises a lateral roof frame having at least one front roof frame part and one rear roof frame part; a front bow held in a longitudinally displaceable manner on the front roof frame part; a bow element held on the front roof frame part; and a front frame of the convertible vehicle, to which the front roof frame part can be releasably locked, the longitudinally displaceable holder for the front bow on the front roof frame part comprising a linear guide and link mechanism, and in which the front bow being able to be pivoted upward by means of the link mechanism during an opening operation.
In this case, an opening movement of the front bow is advantageously achieved which, on the one hand, comprises a longitudinal displacement along the linear guide and, on the other hand, a pivoting upward by means of the link mechanism, with the pivoting upward subsequently enabling the bow element to be passed over in a simple manner.
The link mechanism preferably comprises a supporting link fixed on the front bow and a pivoting hook which can be brought into connection with a hoop of the front frame, so that the front bow is additionally held securely on the front frame in its closed position.
In addition, a drivable, first slider, a second slider and a third slider are particularly preferably held in a longitudinally displaceable manner in the linear guide, with the supporting link and an intermediate link being connected in an articulated manner to the second link via a link plate, with the intermediate link being connected in an articulated manner to the pivoting hook and the pivoting hook being connected in an articulated manner to the second slider, and with the pivoting hook being connected to the first slider via a control link. This advantageously achieves a complex combination of a pivoting and displacing movement of the front bow and, at the same time, locking of the front bow to the front frame in a space-saving manner with a small number of components.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the front roof frame part can advantageously be pivoted in the same orientation over the rear roof frame part, this preferably being achieved through a parallel pivoting by means of a four-bar linkage which is formed by the front and the rear roof frame links and by a first and second link which are articulated in each case on the front and on the rear roof frame parts. The bow element, to which the top cloth is preferably fixed, can therefore be fixed rigidly to the front roof frame parts, with, nevertheless, an advantageously joint displacement of the front bow and bow element rearward being possible. By means of this displacement rearward in the course of complete opening of the top, sufficient space is maintained in the rear region for the rear passengers.
The front roof frame part, the rear roof frame part and a pillar element articulated on the rear roof frame part and on the vehicle body particularly preferably together form a roof frame, with a main link connecting the body to the rear roof frame part and a control link connecting the main link to one of the two links of the four-bar linkage associated with the front roof frame part being added to the roof frame to give a linkage which is positively controlled in its entirety.
Complete opening of the top can preferably be driven by means of a driving device, with it being possible, in particular in the case of the top linkage being designed as a positively controlled linkage, for a simple, linear force-introducing unit which is supported against the vehicle body to be provided.
Further advantages and features emerge from the exemplary embodiment described below and from the dependent claims.